Subscribe

Monthly Archives: June 2007

About Asherah: Asherah, a Canaanite Goddess of moral strength, offers to
lend support and insight when we are faced with inequality or
overwhelming odds. In art, she is often depicted simply as an upright
post supporting the temple. This is a fitting representation, since her
name means “straight.” Traditionally, Asherah is a mother figure often
invoked at planting time, embodying a kind of benevolent, fertile energy
that can reinforce just efforts and good intentions. Beyond this she is
also an oracular goddess, specifically for predicting the future.

To Do Today: In Israel, this festival commemorates Esther’s strength and
compassion in pleading with King Ahasuerus to save her people held
captive in Persia. It is a time of prayer when one looks to the divine
to instill similar positive attributes within us. For help in this
quest, we turn to Asherah with this simple prayer:

Lady, make me an instrument of kindness and mercy; let my words be
gentle and true, my actions motivated by insight and fairness. Where
there is prejudice, let me be the bearer of tolerance. Where there is
uncertainty, let me share your vision. Where there is disharmony, let me
sow love. Amen.

Plant a tree today to remember Asherah, and tend it often. As you do,
you tend her attributes in your heart.

from 365 Goddess – A Daily Guide of the Magick and Inspiration of the
Goddess
by Patricia Telesco

Goddess Meditation
Her face had the black-blue shine of coal.
Her one bony tooth was red like rust.
her hair was think and dense and gray
like brushwood in a dying forest.
In her head was one eye like a pool,
swifter than a star in the winter sky.
That one stone eye in the hag’s head
moved quicker than mackerel after a lure.

~ Scottish Song About The Hag Goddess

In North Africa, this day begins the Time of the Old Woman, a period of
dangerous weather. In Scotland, too, this was the time old woman of
winter was said to chase the new spring across the land. Inevitably, the
Spring Goddess won, and the old one was turned into a huge boulder.

Inevitably, too, our lives change. We too have our seasons: youth,
midlife, age. And within those seasons, we have weather: good times and
bad ones, and times when we just hang on. We have storms and calm
periods, tempests and balmy warmth. We have sunny days when nothing
seems like it can possibly go wrong, and then a rain of tears when life
takes from us what we’ve cherished.

During sunny times, enjoy and be thankful. During bad weather, endure
and remember that however chill the winter, spring always follows.

from The Goddess Companion – Daily Meditations on the Feminine Spirit
by Patricia Monaghan

For a round crystal pillow, cut two pieces of velvet 5 -6 inches in diameter. Use a plate as a template if you need one. Right sides together, sew the pieces together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance and leaving an opening to pour in the beans.Turn pillow right side out. Stuff the pillow 2/3 full with the beans, whipstitch the opening closed.

For a square pillow, cut two pieces of velvet 5 inches square

Right sides together, sew along the edges using 1/2 inch seam allowance, and leaving 1 inch open to turn

Turn right side out, stuff 2/3 full with beans, and whipstitch the opening closed.

AKA: Serpent’s Tongue, Dog’s Tooth Violet, Yellow Snowdrop, Rattlesnake Violet, Yellow Snakeleaf.
Parts Used: The underground bulb, from which the plant grows, and the leaves.
Effects: When swallowed, it will cause vomiting and so is an emetic. When placed directly upon tissue, it has a soothing and softening effect and so it is also an emollient.
Uses: The fres leaves may be used whoel but preferably should be somewhat bruised and applied directly to ulcers and tumors. In addition, the “tea” resulting from pouring some boiling water over the leaves and allowing it to stand until tolerable drinking may be taken several times a day for absorption into the body.

Another method is to extract juice from the plant and mix into boiling water, one teaspoon to a cup of ater. This herb is reputed to be valuable in treating tuberculosis invoving diseased glands and also for scurvy, the disease caused by a deficiency of Vitamin C and marked by weakness, anemia and bleeding from the mucous membrane on the skin.

Another use for this herb is the relief it often affords in cases of hiccups and in conditions of swelling due to accumulation of fluid in various body cavitis known as dropsy.

An ancient authority on herbs states that this herb is also valuable for bleeding at the mouth or nose. The preferred method of doing this would be to apply some of this herb in dry powered form directly to the areas of bleeding.

Spring flowering bulbs, which are planted in the Fall, hold the
secrets of life, death, and reincarnation. As you plan your Spring
garden, reading this meditation aloud will put you in the proper
frame of mind:

When leaves of russet begin to fly,
And wild geese sing their mournful cry,
When the grasses are bleached white as bone,
And the Earth is barren as a stone,
When a lone zinnia raises its head,
Kneel down before this flower bed
And plant bulbs which bloom in the Spring.
Good fortune this will bring,
As will these holy words:
Eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth,
I return these bulbs to Mother Earth.
Now, when the dark season obscures the Sun,
You will be glad
for what you have done.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine buttermilk and pumpkin in a bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 12 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place on a greased or sprayed baking sheet. Bake 11 minutes or until golden. Serve with butter and honey.

Dark Circles can be removed by applying peeled and grated potato overnight at least three times a week.

Grate a cucumber, squeeze to take out its juice and refrigerate. Make a mixture of lemon juice, lanolin cream and cucumber juice and apply around the eye for 10-15 minutes.

The most effective remedy for dark circles is also the most cliche. Thin slices of cucumber applied to your eyes not only helps to lighten the skin, but also soothes and cools the eyes. This can be especially comforting if you’ve been up late the night before or your eyes are red and tired from allergies or staring at a laptop screen.

Massage with almond oil under and around eyes at bed time daily for 2 weeks and see the improvement. Almond helps to remove dark circles, and is an excellent “skin food”.

The caffiene in tea bags acts as a remedy for dark circles by diminishing puffiness. Caffiene in tea helps to diminish water in the tissues around the eyes (you’ll notice that many early eye circle creams contain caffiene for this very reason). In addition, tea contains antioxidants that are beneficial to the skin.

Copyright Info

I love to share and all of the artwork on this blog is created by me, unless otherwise noted. I do ask that you do not copy or recreate any of the posted artwork here for contest submissions, publication, or profit. I will be extremely flattered if something here inspires you to create for your own personal use, but please give me credit and/or link to my blog. I appreciate your stopping by, and thanks for your understanding!